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Co2 Leak, any input?

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Old Apr 2, 2012 | 11:15 AM
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Default Co2 Leak, any input?

Plumbed up my co2 boost controller this weekend. Got my 2.5lb tank filled up and between testing it a couple of times and making 2 hits on it I went through the entire tank.

I checked all the connections, there are some very light leaks around 2 of the fittings, but just barely enough to even make a bubble when soaked with soapy water.

Where I am loosing the most air seems to be at through the wastegate itself. I can hear it coming out the dump tube, and when I put my hand over the dump tube it is obvious it is coming through there. Hell, it must be pumping into the engine as well because it takes forever for the engine to crank after I test the controller.

I pulled the gates apart and the diaphram looks good, everything seems to be seated correctly, but somehow I am looking a lot of co2 through it.

My buddy said that it is normal to loose co2 through the gate as they are never perfectly sealed, but going through 2.5lbs of co2 that quick can't be normal (I hear of folks getting 6 months out of a tank).

What am I doing wrong here? Going to pull both wastegates off tonight and really inspect them good, but they looked fine and only have a few hundred miles on them currently.
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Old Apr 2, 2012 | 03:32 PM
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I thought co2 was bad for your motor? Did you see any gains from it?
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Old Apr 2, 2012 | 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by dville_gt
Plumbed up my co2 boost controller this weekend. Got my 2.5lb tank filled up and between testing it a couple of times and making 2 hits on it I went through the entire tank.

I checked all the connections, there are some very light leaks around 2 of the fittings, but just barely enough to even make a bubble when soaked with soapy water.

Where I am loosing the most air seems to be at through the wastegate itself. I can hear it coming out the dump tube, and when I put my hand over the dump tube it is obvious it is coming through there. Hell, it must be pumping into the engine as well because it takes forever for the engine to crank after I test the controller.

I pulled the gates apart and the diaphram looks good, everything seems to be seated correctly, but somehow I am looking a lot of co2 through it.

My buddy said that it is normal to loose co2 through the gate as they are never perfectly sealed, but going through 2.5lbs of co2 that quick can't be normal (I hear of folks getting 6 months out of a tank).

What am I doing wrong here? Going to pull both wastegates off tonight and really inspect them good, but they looked fine and only have a few hundred miles on them currently.
Hard to say - but the diaphragms are not air or CO2 tight. Air goes right through the diaphragm. What controller? I would fix your "small leaks" first. The engine doesn't start easily after testing the WGs seems odd. You must be filling the cylinder through the exhaust valves but still thats a crap ton of gas. You have to realize too that if you're controlling the setup for low boost then you will poking the WG's with CO2 often. The big setups may not be hitting the CO2 much at all if running big boost.

We need some more details really.
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Old Apr 2, 2012 | 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by 5mall5nail5
Hard to say - but the diaphragms are not air or CO2 tight. Air goes right through the diaphragm. What controller? I would fix your "small leaks" first. The engine doesn't start easily after testing the WGs seems odd. You must be filling the cylinder through the exhaust valves but still thats a crap ton of gas. You have to realize too that if you're controlling the setup for low boost then you will poking the WG's with CO2 often. The big setups may not be hitting the CO2 much at all if running big boost.

We need some more details really.
running twin 38mm emusa wastegates. have springs in the gates that make ~5psi and using co2 on top of the gate to make regulate the boost. 5psi of co2 on top of the gate makes about 10psi of boost.

i believe it is filling the intake mani with co2 as it leaks past the diaphram and through the vacuum line that goes to the bottom of each gate. that is just my suspicion as it seems to need to turn over and over and over after i've been testing the controller. otherwise it starts right up like stock. i think the intake is full of co2 and it has to flush it all out before it can start.
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Old Apr 3, 2012 | 10:48 AM
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think i found the problem. i pulled the wastegate apart and found a set screw on the top side of the diaphram. i couldn't figure out where it came from as the only slots for set screws on the top side still had their set screws present.

pulled the top of the gate off and this is what i found:



looks like the set screw that holds the top of the gate down came out and as the gate actuated it crushed the set screw into the gate until it eventually went through it and got caught on the top side of the gate. this obviously put a hole in my diaphragm.
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Old Apr 3, 2012 | 05:58 PM
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Damn, wonder how that happened, Looks like you got her figured out, you gonna rebuild them or get some new gates?
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Old Apr 3, 2012 | 06:08 PM
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I'd just get another gate.
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Old Apr 3, 2012 | 09:38 PM
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Ya, I don't think I can find a replacement diaphragm for the price of one of these gates.
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Old Apr 5, 2012 | 11:05 AM
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Yep - I've had that happen too. Well not exactly, but I pinched a diaphragm and under boost it tore when it pulled. I swear by TiAL's.
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